Developer reduces number of Hingham units proposed

Tuesday

Dec 26, 2017 at 12:31 PMDec 26, 2017 at 1:41 PM

Mary Whitfill The Patriot Ledger thelittlewreck

HINGHAM – Developers for the controversial River Stone, LLC project proposed for Ward Street have submitted updated plans for the 13-building affordable housing development. The new plans reduce the number of proposed units from 36 to 32 and include additional sidewalks to address public safety concerns.

After over a year of contention between the developer and the town, which claims it has already met its state affordable housing requirements, the updated plans are meant to address feedback from the town and residents. The revised plans were submitted last Thursday, after 50 residents showed up to a zoning board meeting on Tuesday only to be told the plans weren’t yet ready.

“We felt that if we were to make a presentation tonight that it would not have been one that was well thought out enough to continue,” Warren Baker, an attorney representing applicant Brian Murphy, said at the meeting.

The new plans propose three buildings with one unit each, five buildings with two units each, one 3-unit building and four four-unit buildings. It also includes 135 total parking spaces.

At least 20 percent of the units would be designated as affordable housing through the state law Chapter 40B, which allows developers to sidestep local zoning laws and build denser housing complexes.

The development would be built on a 6.67 acre lot and include 3.67 acres of open space. The new plans include connecting Ward Street to public road Autumn Circle via a newly-constructed “Viking Lane.” A total of 1,817 feet of new road would be constructed.

Since the project was first proposed in early 2016, concerns from residents and town officials included increased traffic, wetland protection, density and adequate emergency vehicle access.

Hingham Senior Planner Emily Wentworth submitted a letter to the applicant last week requesting a landscaping plan and other various application requirements be ready before the next public hearing.

The development will be up for discussion by the zoning board again at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11.